Friday, June 6, 2014

Manhunt ends in Canada, suspect in police killings arrested

Canadian police have arrested a man suspected of shooting three police officers dead and injuring two more, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said on Friday. The detention ended a massive manhunt after the shooting in the eastern city of Moncton, Reuters reported. “Justin Bourque arrested by RCMP at 12:10 in Moncton,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a tweet. “Residents of north Moncton can now leave their homes.”

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said he expects Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit this year in Brisbane, although the Russian president did not attend Group of Seven meeting held this week. As the current holder of the rotating G20 presidency, Australia hosts the leaders’ summit in Brisbane in November.“The G20 is an economic meeting whereas the G7 or the G8 has tended to have a very strong security component,” Abbott said.

World news trickle in

Pope Francis sacks entire board of Vatican’s financial watchdog

Pope Francis on Thursday sacked the entire Italian board of the Vatican’s financial watchdog, Reuters said. The pope named four experts from Switzerland, Singapore, the US and Italy to the board of the Financial Information Authority (AIF), the Holy See’s internal regulatory office, according to the Vatican. All five outgoing board members had been expected to serve five-year terms ending in 2016.

Red Cross suspends Libya operation as killing of staff member is probed

The International Committee of the Red Cross is suspending operations in Libya while it investigates the killing of a staff member there, Reuters reported. Michael Greub, the Swiss head of a sub-delegation of the ICRC, was shot in the central coastal town of Sirte on Wednesday. “It’s a bit difficult to say if the organization was targeted or our colleague because he was a Westerner. We just need to pause the operation,” ICRC spokesman Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron said in Geneva.

Obama says G7 may slap new sanctions on Russia in a month

New sanctions may be imposed against Russia in a month if Moscow does not change its policies over Ukraine, RIA Novosti quoted US President Barack Obama as saying Thursday. The G7 will assess Russia’s activities during next two to four weeks and if the policy is not changed “certain measures” will be taken, Obama reportedly said at a news conference in Brussels. He also said that “Russia needs to recognize that President-elect [Petro] Poroshenko is the legitimately elected leader of Ukraine and engage the government in Kiev,” AP reported.

EU lists Boko Haram as a terrorist organization

The European Union has designated Nigeria’s Boko Haram as a terrorist organization, Itar-Tass reported, citing the EU’s foreign policy service. The move indicates resolute condemnation of the group’s militants by the EU, and its firm support for Nigeria’s efforts in the fight against terrorism, the statement said.

S. Korea databases hacked – US military

Hackers might have compromised the personal information of thousands of South Koreans employed by American armed forces, the commander of US Forces in South Korea said Thursday. Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti apologized for the “possible theft” from two databases of private details of South Koreans such as names, contact information and work history, AP said. About 16,000 current and former workers, almost all of them Korean nationals, and people who have sought jobs with the US military in the country, are affected by the incident. No classified military data was compromised as the databases were on a separate network.

Russia blasts Western reaction to Syria election

Observers have found the Syrian presidential election in which Bashar Assad retained power to have been fair, free and transparent, Russia said, criticizing the reaction of Western nations that denounced the vote.“Moscow sees the vote as an important event that safeguards the continued functioning of state institutions in Syria,” Reuters quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich as saying Thursday. The“politicized reaction” of some nations “cannot fail to cause disillusionment,” he added.

6

Merkel, Cameron hold ‘candid’ talks over next European Commission chief

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron had “candid” talks over the top EU job Thursday, officials said. London objects to Merkel’s favored candidate to become the next European Commission chief, former Luxembourg premier Jean-Claude Juncker, on the grounds that he supports further political union in the 28-member bloc, AFP reported. Cameron met Merkel at Britain’s EU office in Brussels after a dinner for leaders of the Group of Seven nations, a spokesman for the British prime minister said.

Venezuelan opposition leader to face trial over anti-govt protests

A Venezuelan opposition leader has been ordered to stand trial on charges of instigating violence at an anti-government demonstration, AFP reported. A judge ruled that Leopoldo Lopez, who has been in custody for three months, should stand trial, the prosecutor’s office said Thursday. Lopez is charged over violence that broke out during a rally against the government of Nicolas Maduro on February 12. Four students were also ordered to stand trial.

34 injured in Staten Island fire

Fire tore through three townhouses on Staten Island early Thursday, injuring 34 people, authorities and witnesses said. About 200 firefighters responded to the blaze that erupted at about 1am (05:00 GMT) and battled the five-alarm fire for several hours until the early morning, AP reported. A New York Fire Department spokesman said 23 firefighters and 11 civilians suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious, but none was considered life-threatening.

Russia’s ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov will attend the inauguration of Petro Poroshenko as Ukrainian president, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told ITAR-TASS on Thursday. It was decided that Zurabov will take part in the official ceremony of Ukraine’s presidential inauguration, which is due to be held on June 7. Zurabov will not participate in the reception after the ceremony, the news agency said. He is returning to Kiev to resume his work as ambassador after the Ukrainian presidential election.

Medvedev calls G7 support for Ukraine military operation ‘cynicism without limit’

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday accused the Group of Seven of backing Ukraine’s military operation in eastern parts of the country. “The so-called G7 even talks about the measured actions of the Ukrainian army against its own people,” Medvedev said at a meeting with ministers. “Cynicism knows no limit in this case.” In a communiqué released at a G7 summit in Brussels on Wednesday, world leaders encouraged Ukraine to “maintain a measured approach in pursuing operations to restore law and order,” AFP said. Medvedev also said that the Ukrainian authorities are speaking about “the absence of refugees” from their state. “It is a lie,” he said.

Election of Ahmed Maiteeq as PM was illegal

Libya’s Supreme Court said Thursday that the election of Ahmed Maiteeq as the country’s prime minister was illegal, Reuters reported. Maiteeq’s lawyers immediately filed an appeal against the ruling. Parliament elected Maiteeq as the new prime minister in a chaotic vote last month. The appointment has been disputed by some lawmakers and officials who said there was no quorum.

NYC takes fight to limit size of sweet drinks to appeals court

New York City took its fight to limit the size of sodas and other sweet drinks blamed by some for obesity back to an appeals court, AFP said. The regulation, spearheaded by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg in May 2012, has been opposed by big business, including restaurant chains, movie theaters and soda makers. They say the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene overstepped its authority on the measure. The legislation aims to limit personal sweet drink sizes to 47 centiliters in stadiums, stores and fast food restaurants.

Death toll in minibus crash in Russia’s Dagestan rises to 6

The number of those killed after a minibus crash in Russia’s North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan has reached six people, RIA Novosti reported. Earlier reports said that at least five people were killed Wednesday morning after the minibus carrying 18 passengers fell off a cliff in the Tsuntinsky district. On Thursday, some 550 people were continuing the search for those missing. The incident may have been caused by a rockslide after heavy rains in the area.

Israel to build 1,000 new settler homes in West Bank

Israel is planning to build more than 1,000 new settlement homes in the West Bank, Reuters said, citing local media reports. The Housing Ministry announced new tenders for the homes in a number of Jewish settlements on land the Palestinians seek for a future state, according to Israel Radio. The move follows the formation of a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas Islamists.

China lodges diplomatic protest with US over Tiananmen remarks

China has lodged a diplomatic protest over US remarks on the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, Reuters said. The White House had honored those who were killed in the action to crush the protests and said it would support the rights that the protesters sought. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing was “strongly dissatisfied” and “firmly opposed” to the US statement, Xinhua reported, adding that it had “lodged solemn representations” with Washington.

​France to deliver Mistral ships to Russia, if no new EU sanctions introduced

Two French Mistral aircraft carriers will be delivered to Russia on time, if no further sanctions are introduced by the EU against Moscow, French President Francois Hollande said. “France will fulfill its contract obligations and sees no obstacles for delivering the warships on time,” Hollande said in Brussels. “The situation will be certainly different…, if European sanctions are imposed [against Russia],” Itar Tass quotes. Under the contract, Russia is to receive the first of the two warships in October this year.

One person died of gunshot and three other people are injured Thursday afternoon in a shooting on the campus of Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington. Police have one suspect in custody.

One female victim is still in critical condition, while two male victims are in out of danger condition, Harborview Medical Center sources.

Deceased victim was 19 years old and the other three victims are in their early 20s. All are believed to be students of the university. Three of the four victims suffered gunshot wounds.

The suspected shooter, 26, is in custody, Seattle police said. The suspect, a white male who was not a student at SPU, was disarmed by university staff, according to police, after entering Otto Miller Hall on the university’s campus.

A building monitor confronted the shooter, according to police, as the suspect was reloading a shotgun. The monitor, a student, pepper-sprayed and tackled the suspect, then was joined by other individuals in neutralizing the shooter before police arrived.

Ukraine said it had abandoned three checkpoints on the Russian border after a series of night-time attacks on Thursday by separatists, and reporters on the scene said at least one had been taken over by the militants.

The decision to leave the border posts came as the government vowed to beef up its security presence to counter pro-Russian rebels amid reports of continued fighting in the country’s east.

The three checkpoints, all in the volatile Lugansk region, were targeted in attacks by pro-Russian rebels on Wednesday and Thursday night, the border guards said in a statement.

“After an exchange of fire, the threat to the lives of people crossing the border prompted the evacuation of civilians and border guards at the checkpoints,” the statement said.

On Thursday afternoon, Ukraine’s blue-and-yellow flag no longer flew over the border post at Dolzhansky after it had been taken over by about 10 armed pro-Russian rebels who allowed vehicles to pass in both directions.

Numerous civilians were also crossing into Russia on foot with suitcases and bags of belongings, seeking refuge from the hostilities on the Ukrainian side.

The Ukrainian border guards numbered about 50 and left towards 5 am today,” said Vitaly Bliznyuk, the commander of a group of pro-Russian fighters. “When we got here, we noticed that the border guards had already left and had detonated their ammunition beforehand,” he told media persons.

Ukraine’s border guards have been a prime target of recent rebel attacks and had to abandon their regional headquarters in the city of Lugansk after an insurgent onslaught on Monday. Kiev says combatants are crossing frequently from Russia, some having travelled from the Caucasus region.

Russia says several thousand refugees cross the border in the other direction every day, a claim which Ukraine denies. “Instead of opening up its borders to all who wish to escape from the combat zone, they have closed it. It’s a complete scandal and unacceptable,” said Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich.

Sporadic gunfire continued across the restive eastern region today, with rebels still controlling key administrative buildings in the main city of Donetsk.

“The night passed relatively quietly. According to residents in the village of Shyroke, gunshots could be heard,” the self-proclaimed “People’s Republic of Donetsk” said in a statement.

WEC India Energy Portal

With Focus on ‘Energy Access’ this edition shares some sustainable rural energy access projects and WEC India own engagement in this priority domain. We share glimpses of some of the recent discussions under the ‘WEC India Dialogue Series’. We bring highlights of 22nd World Energy Congress held in Daegu as well.

Russian President Putin (R) is greeted by France’s President Francois Hollande as he arrives at the Elysee Palace in Paris

World leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, have flocked to France to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in WWII. Amid the celebrations, many of the official meetings have focused on the Ukrainian crisis. RT News

SUMITRA MAHAJAN UNANIMOUSLY CHOSEN

AS LS SPEAKER

Senior BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan has been chosen as Speaker of the Lok Sabha unanimously today. 17 motions were moved from members from different parties including BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Leaders of Congress, AIADMK, Lok Janshakti Party, Shiv Sena, TDP, YSR Congress, TRS, Samajwadi Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, NCP, TMC, JD(S) and BJD also moved the motions in her favour.

Our Correspondent reports that the motions moved by former Prime Minister and JD(S) leader H D Devegowda and BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab were not seconded as the members mentioned to second the motion were not present in the House.

The motions moved by the NDA ally Apna Dal member Anupriya Patel and two others were not accepted by the Protem Speaker as they were time barred. After the declaration of her election for the post, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior BJP leader L K Advani, leader of the Congress in the House Mallikarjun Kharge, AIADMK leader Anna Durai, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, TMC leader Sudip Bandhopadhaya and others took her to the Chair.

India finally managed to earn their first points in the World Cup Hockey as they held Spain to a 1-1 draw on Thursday as custodian PR Sreejesh effected atleast four brilliant saves.

The Indian goalkeeper fought gallantly to effect numerous saves as Spain’s strikers often broke past the jittery Indian defence only to find Sreejesh standing like a rock.India went into the lead, for the first time in this World Cup, courtesy a penalty stroke conversion by Rupinder Pal Singh in the 28th minute. Roc Olivia equalized for Spain with a low flick just one minute before half-time after Sreejesh had blocked two earlier shots at the goal. Spain forced the first penalty corner in the seventh minute, but Sergi Enrique’s drag flick was stopped by Indian custodian Sreejesh. At the other end, Rupinder Pal’s long diagonal ball found striker Lalit Upadhyay, but his deflection was way off the target. The Indian goal came under threat in the 17thminute when Salvador Piera was in a one-on-one position with goalkeeper Sreejesh, who padded away the shot. Sreejesh was again in action to block the second Spanish penalty corner conceded by erratic Indian defence. India went into the lead on a penalty stroke which was awarded when Dharamvir Singh’s diagonal assist was picked up by Mandeep Singh on top of the circle. He was tripped from behind by Spanish defender Ramon Alegre as he created space for a shy at the goal. A lapse in their own territory by the Indians allowed Spain to get the equalizer. Defender VR Raghunath lost the ball allowed the Spaniards to build an attack with the Indian half-line out of their positions. Couple of tries by the Spanish strikers were brilliantly parried by Sreejesh before Olivia slotted the ball into the goal. The Indian citadel came under intense pressure from the Spaniards in the second half and Sreejesh had to block three shots, including a penalty corner, before the Indian strikers got anywhere near the rival circle. India forced their first penalty corner in the 52nd minute and it led to another penalty corner, but this time the push was not taken well and posed no pressure on the Spanish defence. India created two good chances on raids from the right flank, but could not capitalise on the openings. Gurbaj Singh 51st minute charged up and sent in a cross that was pushed out by Yuvraj Walmiki. In the 65th minute, Dharamvir picked up a pass from S.V. Sunil and came into a one-on-one position with the goalkeeper, but his shot from a narrow angle was padded away by Spanish custodian Quico Cortes. India’s last chance came in the 67th minute when they forced their last of their three penalty corner, which was taken by Raghunath, but the defenders held their ground. In the other matches of the day, favourites Australia beat Belgium 3-1 while England beat Malaysia 2-0.

Government intelligence agencies have direct access to telecommunication companies’ infrastructure which allows them to spy and record phone calls leaving no paper trail, the UK’s largest mobile phone company Vodafone has revealed.

The British operator said wires have been attached to its phone networks in some of the 29 countries in which it operates in Europe, as well as around the world, the Guardian reported. Governments similarly connect to other telecom groups, reportedly allowing them to listen to or record live conversations. In some cases, the surveillance agencies can also track the whereabouts of a customer.

“For governments to access phone calls at the flick of a switch is unprecedented and terrifying,” Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti told the Guardian. “Snowden revealed the internet was already treated as fair game. Bluster that all is well is wearing pretty thin – our analogue laws need a digital overhaul.”

But now Vodafone is pushing back against government surveillance through direct access to the pipes. On Friday, it will publish its first Law Enforcement Disclosure Report about how governments spy on people through the company’s infrastructure.

“These pipes exist, the direct access model exists,” the telecom giant’s group privacy officer, Stephen Deadman told the Guardian. “We are making a call to end direct access as a means of government agencies obtaining people’s communication data. Without an official warrant, there is no external visibility. If we receive a demand we can push back against the agency. The fact that a government has to issue a piece of paper is an important constraint on how powers are used.”

“We need to debate how we are balancing the needs of law enforcement with the fundamental rights and freedoms of the citizens,” Deadman said.Media agencies